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The Dallas Mavericks wind things down as the All Star Break approaches, and faced a tough opponent Monday night in the red hot Boston Celtics, who had won 9 of 10 and showed why against the Mavs.
TRIPLE FEVER HITS BIG D
Both teams came out of the gate launching the longball, but unfortunately only the Celtics kept that hot shooting up all game long. Boston hit 16 bombs on 34 tries, good for 47%. The backcourt duo of Isaiah Thomas and Marcus Smart did most of the damage, combining for 48 points. A 17-5 run turned what was a very close game into a lackluster finish, as Thomas and the C’s saw blood and took advantage.
MAVS CONTINUE TO FINISH QUARTERS POORLY
I already mentioned the late run that stretched Boston’s lead, but another real killer was the end to the first half, which saw the Mavs climb to within three before allowing 8 points in a minute, several coming on free throws, as Deron Williams argued a call and was ejected. Making matters worse, his replacement Yogi Ferrell pulled a Jason Terry and fouled Isaiah Thomas on a last second heave, sending him to the line for three freebies.
IT’S MORE FUN WHEN YOGI GOES OFF IN A WIN...
Despite that miscue, Yogi Ferrell had another stellar game(his first off the bench), scoring 20 points on 11 shots, and he did a respectable job chasing around Thomas on the perimeter. Seth Curry started the game but when he was blown up by more than one screen within the first few minutes, Carlisle pulled the trigger early and put Yogi in. Then Yogi started the second half following D-Will’s ejection. If the Mavs had managed to pull this one out, this might have the biggest starting controversy in Dallas since...eh, nevermind.